What's New in Chamonix?

The victim killed whilst competing in the Derby des Posettes has been named

As we reported from the scene yesterday, the 15th Derby des Posettes ski race was abandoned yesterday (Saturday) as news emerged one of the competitors was involved in a fatal accident.

It has since emerged that the victim had set off with her team-mate with bib number 30 from the start line at the top of the Aiguillette drag lift. The snowboarder, a 29 year old mother from Les Chosalets, somehow overshot the blue piste on the way down to the Foret piste, hit a tree and died at the scene from serious head injuries.

A PGHM spokesperson commented : "We don't really know what happened. It seems the victim lost control on the piste and hit a tree causing fatal injuries, despite the fact that we were quickly on the scene."

The victim, named today as Celine Touyarot lived in Les Chosalets and was a PE teacher at the Jeanne d'Arc school in Chamonix. She was to celebrate her 30th birthday on the 31st of January.

In the light of the tragic events, the race was immediately abandoned and the evening buffet and entertainment planned at the Ferme des Trois Ours in Vallorcine was cancelled.

In other news, a woman had a miraculous escape on the arete of the Aiguille du Midi yesterday after slipping over the north edge of the steep arete down to the start of the Vallee Blanche. Amazingly, the woman came to a halt after sliding 50m, thanks to a build up of snow on a small crevasse.

The woman was quickly picked up by the PGHM rescue team with just a dislocated hip. Had the snow not stopped her fall, she would have tumbled over a 1000 metres!

Meanwhile it has emerged that another skier on the Vallee Blanche wasn't so lucky. After falling in a crevasse, the skier died instantly. The victim, who was French but lived in Geneva, was reached quickly by PGHM rescuers but was already dead at the scene following the 20m fall. The incident happened on Sunday in the Salle a Manager area of the Vallee Blanche itinerary.